Chapter Two – When an Alpha Steps In

Dawn

"Wait."

Raven's Alpha command boomed through the party, freezing everyone in place – including me. My feet stopped moving of their own accord, though every cell in my body screamed to run. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the sound of my ragged breathing and racing heart.

I couldn't turn around. I couldn't bear to see the judgment in all those eyes, the sneers on their faces, the pity or disgust in Raven's expression. My shoulders shook with silent sobs as tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Oh, is the little whore crying now?" Dimitri's mocking voice cut through the silence like a knife. "Trying to get sympathy from everyone? From him?"

"I didn't know," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I never felt any mate bond with you."

"LIAR!" Dimitri roared, and I flinched at the fury in his voice. "How could you not feel it? Everyone knows when they meet their mate! Unless..." He let out a cruel laugh. "Unless you're such a weak Omega that you couldn't even feel that. Pathetic."

I finally turned around, forcing myself to face him despite my trembling legs. "You never said anything! Not once in all the times we've talked did you mention being mates. How was I supposed to know?"

"I, Dimitri Arthur," he began formally, and my blood ran cold. No, no, no. "reject you, Dawn Yeager, as my mate. You are unworthy of the bond we shared."

The pain hit instantly – a searing, white-hot agony that started in my chest and spread through my entire body. My legs gave out, and I crumpled to the floor, clutching at my heart. This was the rejection pain that other wolves spoke about in whispers. The pain that some didn't survive.

"Please," I gasped, reaching toward him blindly. "Please, Dimitri, I swear I didn't know. My wolf is weak, maybe that's why I couldn't feel it. Please don't do this!"

"Stop begging," he sneered. "It's pathetic. Just like how pathetic it was watching you moon over Raven every day at practice. Did you think I didn't notice? Did you think nobody saw you hiding in the bleachers like a stalker?"

"That's enough." Raven's voice was quiet but filled with an Alpha's power that made everyone shiver.

"Why are you defending her?" Dimitri challenged, though he took an instinctive step back. "You saw her watching you. She's nothing but a—"

"Choose your next words very carefully," Raven cut him off, his eyes flashing dangerous gold. "Because they might be your last."

The party guests pressed themselves against the walls, trying to get as far from the confrontation as possible. Even Nikki, who had been smirking at my humiliation, looked uncertain now.

"She says she never felt your mate bond," Raven continued, moving to stand between me and Dimitri. "And as someone who's actually experienced a true mate bond, I believe her."

Wait... what?

"How would you know?" Dimitri scoffed, but there was fear creeping into his voice now.

"Because," Raven turned to look at me, his storm-gray eyes softening as they met mine, "I felt it the moment I touched her hand in the gym yesterday. Dawn is my true mate."

The room erupted in gasps and whispers. I stared at Raven in shock, my pain momentarily forgotten. Was he lying? Was this some kind of pity play?

"That's impossible!" Dimitri protested. "She was my mate first!"

"Was she?" Raven's voice turned dangerous again. "Or did you just decide she was because you knew she was too weak to feel a false bond? Did you think you could claim her without her knowing, keep her in the dark until you were done playing your games?"

Dimitri's face paled, and I felt sick to my stomach. Had he really...?

"I hereby declare Dawn Yeager as my mate and future Luna of the Kent Pack," Raven announced, his Alpha voice making the declaration official. Then, to my complete shock, he added, "And as of now, she will be taking her rightful place as captain of the cheerleading squad."

"You can't do that!" Nikki shrieked, finally finding her voice. "That position is mine!"

"Actually, I can," Raven smiled, but it wasn't friendly. "As Alpha of this pack and captain of the basketball team, I have full say over who leads the cheerleaders. Unless you'd like to challenge my authority?"

Nikki's mouth snapped shut, though her eyes promised vengeance.

My head was spinning. Mate? Luna? Cheerleader? This couldn't be happening. "But I didn't feel anything with you either," I whispered, though even as I said it, I remembered that electric current when we touched, the way his eyes had flashed gold.

"Yes, you did," Raven said softly, kneeling beside me. "You just didn't recognize it because you've never felt a real mate bond before."

The rejection pain was still burning through me, making it hard to think clearly. "Are you... are you just saying this because you pity me?"

Instead of answering, Raven scooped me up in his arms as if I weighed nothing. The moment my body pressed against his chest, that electric current zipped through me again, stronger this time. My inner wolf, weak as she was, stirred to life and whined with longing.

"Does this feel like pity?" he murmured, his lips close to my ear.

Before I could respond, he turned to address the crowd. "This party is over. Anyone still here in five minutes will answer to me personally."

The room cleared faster than I'd ever seen, wolves practically tripping over themselves to get out. Only Dimitri remained, his face twisted with rage and humiliation.

"This isn't over," he growled.

"Yes, it is," Raven replied calmly. "You rejected her. She's no longer yours to claim – not that she ever truly was. And if I ever hear you speak to her like that again, you'll learn exactly why I'm the Alpha."

Without waiting for a response, he carried me up the stairs of the Alpha house. My mind was racing with questions, but my body was exhausted from the rejection pain and emotional trauma. I rested my head against his chest, breathing in his comforting scent of cedar and wilderness.

"Where are we going?" I managed to ask as he shouldered open a door.

"My room," he replied, his voice rumbling through his chest. "You need to rest and heal, and this is the safest place for you right now."

"But—"

"Sleep, little Red," he cut me off gently, laying me on what had to be his bed. The sheets smelled like him, and my wolf sighed contentedly despite everything. "We'll talk about everything tomorrow. I promise you're safe here."

As my eyes drifted shut, heavy with exhaustion and leftover pain, I couldn't help but wonder: was this real? Or would I wake up tomorrow to find it had all been a dream? And if it was real... what game was Raven really playing?

The last thing I felt before sleep claimed me was his hand gently brushing my hair back from my face, and his whispered words.

"No one will ever hurt you again, my Luna. I swear it."

But even in my half-conscious state, I couldn't help but wonder. was that a promise he could really keep?

His words echoed in my mind: "No one will ever hurt you again, my Luna." But exhaustion was pulling me under, the rejection pain still throbbing dully in my chest.

"Rest," Raven whispered, his fingers still threading through my hair. The touch sent shivers down my spine, and my inner wolf stirred restlessly.

"I can't," I murmured, fighting against heavy eyelids. "Every time I close my eyes, I hear his words..."

Raven's low growl rumbled through the room. "He was never your true mate, Dawn. A true mate would never hurt you like that."

I forced my eyes open to look at him. In the dim light of his room, his eyes had taken on that molten gold color again. The mate bond that he claimed existed between us seemed to pulse with energy.

"Prove it," I whispered, surprising myself with my boldness. "Prove this isn't just pity."

His eyes darkened, and the air between us grew thick with tension. "Dawn," he said, my name a warning on his lips. "You're vulnerable right now. The rejection—"

"Please," I cut him off, reaching for him. "I need to feel something real. Something that doesn't hurt."

The moment our skin touched, that familiar electric current sparked between us, stronger than ever. Raven's control seemed to snap, and suddenly he was closer, much closer.

"If we do this," he said, his voice rough with restraint, "there's no going back. You'll be mine. My mate. My Luna."

My answer was to pull him down to me, letting my wolf's instincts guide me for the first time in my life. The moment our lips met, the world seemed to explode into color and sensation. The rejection pain faded, replaced by something warmer, deeper.

What followed was a blur of touches, whispered words, and the growing certainty that this – this was what a real mate bond felt like. Nothing like the empty claim Dimitri had made. This was all-consuming, overwhelming in its intensity.

As the moon rose higher in the sky, Raven claimed me as his mate in every way possible. And for the first time in my life, my wolf didn't feel weak at all.

Later, as we lay tangled in his sheets, the mate mark on my neck still tingling, Raven pulled me closer against his chest. "Mine," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.

"Yours," I agreed sleepily, finally feeling whole.

But even as I drifted off in my mate's arms, a small part of me wondered. what would tomorrow bring? And were we ready for the

storm that was surely coming?

Because one thing was certain – neither Dimitri nor Nikki would let this go without a fight.